Featured in Beyond solar – 08-2023

Much more than Goodenough

The world would have been a different place today had John Goodenough accepted the Shah of Iran’s $7 million offer, in 1974, to carry out solar research. Instead, he secured a job as the head of inorganic chemistry at the University of Oxford. During his tenure, he made a lithium-ion battery discovery that would affect the lives of almost everyone.

By

Marija Maisch

25 Jul 2023

The University of Texas described Goodenough as “a dedicated public servant, a sought-after mentor, and a brilliant, yet humble inventor.” | Photo: The University of Texas at Austin

In December 2019, John Bannister Goodenough’s wheelchair was pushed center stage at Stockholm City Hall, where King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden was waiting. After a warm handshake and bow, the king presented Goodenough with a small red box housing his Nobel Prize in Chemistry. It recognized the 97-year-old’s crucial role in developing the rechargeable …

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